The BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine is used to protect against tuberculosis. The vaccine was developed by French bacteriologists Albert Calmette (1863-1933) and Camille Guérin (1872-1961) at the Pasteur Institute, Lille, France, in 1921. The vaccine was successfully used in France but did not go into widespread use until after the Second World War.

By freeze-drying the vaccines, the treatment can safely be transported over long distances and diluted when needed.